Several hundred feet above Gargant’s forest on Gryphon Mountain’s east slope rose a bulwark of rough gray stones. The ground rose on either side, forcing Mendrion and Siggorund to choose one of the two directions to continue their ascent. Mendrion halted before doing so, watching for defenders of some kind to call out. Nothing happened except for a pair of birds swooping past, their cries soon passing out of earshot.

After a glance at his mute companion, Mendrion chose left. The sun had already fallen behind the Mountain, bringing twilight early, even though out to the east the sunlight still lit the land. When they reached the point where the slope met the top of the wall, the Seer found a wide semicircular platform before him. Its surface consisted of more of the stones. Above the surface rose a sheer cliff. Mendrion caught sight of an outcropping near the top that resembled a hook, as if an arch had once extended from the cliff face but had been broken off.

Mendrion stepped onto the stones and walked its length. He looked out over the slope and saw nothing moving, not even in the dark streak of Gargant’s forest below.

He strode back to where Siggorund waited. “What do you think of stopping here for the night?” he asked the warrior. “Our back and front will be protected.”

Siggorund looked around, including upward. The cliff was much too high for anyone to come upon them that way. He nodded, and they prepared their evening meal. Unfortunately, their position would make a fire visible for miles, so they wrapped themselves in their cloaks and quickly ate their evening meal with little to warm them.

As Mendrion tried to fall asleep, a breeze arose and swept down the mountainside. The cliff offered something of a windbreak, but he still shivered occasionally. The quieter the night became, the more Mendrion noticed the roughness of the stones beneath. Nevertheless, he finally began to doze.

His eyes snapped open—had he heard something?

Without moving, he scanned the stone platform. There. A squarish section of the floor was tilted upward, and beneath it . . . a pair of eyes nearly hidden in shadow.

“About time you woke up,” said a voice.

Instantly, Siggorund sprang to his feet, massive broadsword gripped in both hands.

The eyes’ expression never changed. “Now, now, no need for that,” the voice said, the gaze darting at Siggorund, then back at Mendrion. The sound was like the rustle of leaves. “You the Seer, yeah?” Mendrion glanced at his companion and nodded. “Thought so. Well, if you want somewhere comfortable to sleep, you’re welcome down here. Underground, but at least it’s warmer than being in that wind.”

“Who are you?” Mendrion asked. For all he knew, he was being invited into a niflung’s cave.

“Oh, forgot my manners. You’re sitting on the doorstep of the Eagle Cliff Kindred.”

“Dwarfs?” Mendrion said.

“Of course. What else?”

Mendrion and Siggorund exchanged a look. Siggorund signaled that he would go first. He disappeared into the hole, stepping backward down a ladder, it seemed. Mendrion stepped forward. Below, Siggorund waved to him from what appeared to be a chamber or tunnel with a dirt floor. Mendrion found the rope ladder and descended.

As soon as he set his feet on the ground, a small but solid form brushed past him and clambered back up, replacing the rock slab and sliding a locking mechanism into place. Mendrion found another pair of dwarfs watching him and holding torches. A single tunnel led into blackness from the small chamber where they stood. The dwarf who had originally spoken to him dropped back to the ground. He peered up at Mendrion, dark eyes peering over a black beard that fanned out in all directions from his face, and thrust out a hand. “The name’s Kurlith. Pleased.”

Mendrion took his hand. “Mendrion . . . Seer of Gryphon Mountain.” He hesitated. “But you knew that already. How?”

“The White Forge Kindred sent a messenger to let us know you were on your way. He gave us your name and description. I’m glad you made it in one piece. Though the size of your friend’s sword probably has something to do with that.” He chuckled. “Come. We’ll sleep, and then I’ll introduce you to the chieftain.”

Kurlith led the way from the entry deeper into the Mountain. They stopped in a chamber near the entrance, a room stocked with blankets, cloaks, and other supplies. The dwarfs bedded down quickly. Mendrion found himself more able to sleep now that the wind wasn’t whipping around him.

The next morning, Mendrion quickly lost all sense of direction as Kurlith took them through a maze of tunnels and chambers. At last, they arrived at a room where a burly dwarf was falling to a large meal consisting of food Mendrion wouldn’t have eaten before midday.

“Chieftain! The new Seer has come to visit,” said Kurlith.

The dwarf’s eyes flicked up at the arrivals from under his bushy, reddish eyebrows. “Eh,” he said, adding a series of loud smacks. His beard sported a collection of crumbs and bits of gravy. “Come on in. Sit down and enjoy some breakfast.”

“Thank you,” Mendrion said. He settled onto a stool and immediately banged his knees on the edge of the table, shifting everything on it.

“Watch it!” barked the chieftain. A smile broke over his face. “Lucky you didn’t spill my ale.” He reached over and clapped Mendrion on the shoulder. The Seer smiled and nodded, but he figured it would take Gargant to upset a tankard of that size and thickness. “My name is Tolguron. Welcome to the home of the Eagle Cliff Kindred. You’re among friends.” Tolguron paused to chew a few times. “I understand that not everyone is welcoming you.”

“Yes, the niflungs,” Mendrion said. “They pursued me across the northern face of the Mountain. They even brought a troll with them once.”

“Niflungs . . . Not the most diplomatic of creatures. But something has their tribes riled up. And . . . our scouts have reported that the trolls are stirring as well. Something has them on edge, and I think it’s you.”

“Me?” Mendrion said. “What do I have to do with them? Other than we’ll be living on the same Mountain. I haven’t done anything to them. A troll tried to dump me from a bridge, but . . .”

“Ah, Durgul, yes.” Tolguron shook his head. “No idea what the stir’s about. But it must have to do with your arrival.” He cleared his throat. “We’ll keep an eye out for trouble and send word. We know where Seer’s Glade is. Everyone knows where Seer’s Glade is.”

They talked until Mendrion finished eating, and as Kurlith led the newcomers back out, Tolguron said, “Kurlith, show him the Gryphon’s Door.”

“Yes, chieftain,” Kurlith answered.

“The Gryphon’s Door?” Mendrion asked.

“You’ll see,” the black-bearded dwarf said.

The dwarf took them in the same general direction from which they had come. After some twists and turns, Kurlith led them into a side chamber. In the middle of the chamber rose four gryphons sitting back to back, wings partly unfurled. Mendrion recognized the same sculpture from the massive cavern he and Siggorund had used to escape the niflungs. “What is it?” he asked.

“A doorway,” Kurlith replied. “The Seer can use it to move quickly from one face of the Mountain to another.”

“You mean I can go straight from one to another? With magic?”

“Something like that, I suppose.”

“Why didn’t Terla tell me about it?” Mendrion wondered. The Doors certainly would have made his journey easier.

“I don’t know. The ways of you Seers aren’t always easy for the rest of us to understand.”

“I’m going to try it. What do I do?”

Kurlith shrugged. “Haven’t a clue. As I said, the ways of you Seers . . .”

Mendrion remembered the Gryphon’s Claw reacting to the stone on the platform. He climbed the steps to the gazebo that rested between the gryphons’ backs, at the same time drawing the Claw out of his satchel. The wide, translucent stone at the top of the pedestal flashed a blue light deep within as he held the Claw close. The glass nestled in the Claw emitted an answering light, but both fell dark again.

Just as with the other stone, the Seer could feel energy coming from this one. He placed his hand on the stone, and it instantly lit with that blue light. This time, however, the light didn’t fade.

“Siggorund, come up here,” Mendrion said, gesturing. The warrior joined him. “I want to return to the other Door, the one we found in that cavern. Are you willing to try coming with me? I’d rather not end up alone in that place.” Siggorund held his gaze and nodded. “Very well. Put your hand on my shoulder, and we’ll see if I can bring you with me.” He looked at Kurlith and said, “We will return in a few moments, I hope.”

He put the Gryphon’s Claw back in his pack. With a deep breath, he closed his eyes and thought about the pedestal and stone beneath the Mountain’s north face.

Instantly, Mendrion’s entire body grew warm. He gasped and opened his eyes. And they opened wider.

Around him stretched a blue plane, its surface streaking by beneath and above. A bright blue star shone before him and grew closer. He looked behind him and could see another receding. Another flashed to his left, and a fourth beyond that. “Siggorund!” he cried, pointing to the farthest one.

And Siggorund’s grip on his shoulder lifted.

“Siggorund!” Mendrion yelled.

The star toward which he sped flashed in his face, and darkness fell around him. Mendrion found himself on his feet, standing in the cavern, with his hand on the stone.

He was alone.

Where is Siggorund? His thoughts raced with panic. Closing his eyes, he pictured the Gryphon’s Door in the Eagle Cliff Kindred’s cave. Again, heat infused him, and he was racing toward a star on his left. The other stars burned in the distance on his right, but he could see nothing else except the deep, luminescent blue above and below. Then he was standing in the Eagle Cliff caves, hand on the stone. Mendrion looked around and saw Kurlith looking at him, but no one else was in the chamber.

Siggorund had disappeared.

This tale is #9 in “The Coming of the Seer,” the story of how Mendrion becomes Seer of Gryphon Mountain. Read the beginning of the story, “The Seer of Gryphon Mountain.”

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